Door catch



United States Patent 2,151,284 3/1939 Tinnerman 292/76X 2,767,005 10/1956 .lorgensen l6/86AX 2,809,061 10/1957 Beyer l6/86AX 3,145,470 8/1964 Hoffman 30/200 1 Primary Examiner-Bobby R. Gay

Attorney-Andrew F. Wintercorn ABSTRACT: This cabinet door catch comprises an elongated L-shaped spring clip that is fastened adjustably to one of the door and cabinet elements by two screws entered through longitudinally spaced holes near one end of the attaching leg of the L so that the fulcrum projection provided on the back of this leg spaced longitudinally from the other or free end provides rocking adjustment of the free end, where a keeper engaging projection is provided forming the short leg of the L The keeper engaging projection has an outwardly angled outer end that is deflected outwardly in slipping over a roundet head on a keeper provided on the other of the door ant cabinet elements. The keeper, being a screw with a spherica slotted head, is also adjustable axially to facilitate installation of the door catch and compensate for wear later.

- Door Patented Nov. 17, 1970 DOOR CATCH The salient feature of the present'invention lies in the fact that the installer of the spring catch clip can set the spring prong of the catch to take hold of the ball-head keeper on the screw in the cabinet with precisely the desired amount of spring pressure at the outset, and the spring pressure can be adjusted by a slight turn on a catch fastener screw later if for any reason the hold should become lightened or made heavier, or in the event after some usage, the parts become worn enough to require readjustment to obtain as good a hold as desired.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

in which: 7

FIG. 1 is a horizontal section through a cabinet door showing my improved spring catch clip applied thereto and indicating in dotted lines the extent of adjustment obtainable as a result of the novel construction;

FIG. 2 is a similar horizontal section showing the spring catch clip in use, in engagement with the ball-head keeper on an axially adjustable screw in a cabinet, as on ashelf thereof, and indicating by a dotted are at the top of the direction of swinging movement of the cabinet door;

FIG. 3 is a face view of the spring catch clip seen in horizontal section in FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 4 is a face view of atwo-pronged U-shaped spring clip like those covered in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,l45,470, which is shown here simply for purposes of comparison.

Reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts throughout these views.

played a two-pronged U-shaped spring clip like that shown at ends thereof, but in the present adaptation for a door catch I prefer, for simplicity and economy, and also to enable getting the greater range of adjustability of spring pressure that is in dicated in the full and dotted line positions in FIG. I, to employ a single pronged spring clip 1, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 having a single spring prong 2' on one end arranged to engage over the ball-head'keeper 3 on the screw 4 that is provided in the cabinet, as for example, on the edge of a shelf 5. The two fastener and adjusting screws 6 that are entered in the two holes 6' provided in longitudinally spaced relation on the attaching end portion of the clip 1 are both adjustable from the one extreme condition shown in FIG. 1, where the prong 2' is on the line a, to the other extreme condition illustrated in dotted lines in FIG. I, where both screws are fully tightened and the prong 2' islo'cated approximately on the line b, thus affording a total adjustment of the dimension indicated at c in FIG. 1, tightening of the screws 6 causing the prong end ofthe clip to fulcrum on the punched conical projection 7 as this end ofthe clip is flexed relative to the attaching end portion.

Thus, in operation after the clip 1' has been applied to the inside of the cabinet door 8, the installer determines roughly about where the screw 4 should be put in,'so that the outwardly curved end portion 9 ofthe clip will strike properly on the head 3 of the screw and hold the door closed. Then, if the clip does not provide a sufficiently tight hold, one or both of In my US. Pat. No. 3,145,470 mentioned above, I emthe screws 6 can be tightened a trifle to draw the prong 2 inwardly, in the direction of the position indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 1, to provide a tighter hold. Later, after some wear is noticeable or if there is some lessening in the spring tension, an additional slightturn on one or both screws 6 will compensate for the wear and loss of spring tension and reproduce the tight holding conditions as prev iousl obtained. 0 VlOUSi), the screw 4 can also be ad usted axially o compensate for the adjustmentof the clip, so that the door 8 when closed stands in the correct relationship to the cabinet, regardless of the extent'ofthe adjustment of the other screw 6.

In lieu ofthe screw 3, I may, of course. utilize a keeper plate on the shelf 5 slidably adjustable toward and away from the spring clip 1' and having a cylindrical enlargement on the outer end presenting the same rounded keeper part for cooperation with the clip as the head ofthe screw.

it is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding of the objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims have been drawn to cover all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

lclaim:

I. In a door catch for a cabinet or the like of the type wherein a keeper onone ofthedoor and cabinet elements has spring-pressedengagement with a catch on the other of said door and cabinet elements, the'improvement which consists in the provision of a catch in, the form of a generally L-shaped spring clip on one of said door and cabinet elements, one relatively long leg of the L providing an attaching portion and the other relatively short leg 8 spring prong substantially at right angles to said attaching portion having an outwardly angled outer end portionfor spring-pressed engagement over and be hind the keeper carried on the other of said door and cabinet elements, the attaching portion of said clip having a pair of longitudinally spaced holes provided therein in remote relation to said prong for entry of axially adjustable headed screws, there being a projection on said attaching portion between the aforesaid holes and the prong adapted to serve by fulcrum engagement on thc element to which the spring clip is adjustably fastened rockingly to adjust the position of said prong with respect to said keeper by causing variable flexing of said attaching portiona-bout said fulcrum projection as a center when one or both of the screws in the aforesaid holes are loosened or tightened relative to one another, the keeper being in the form of a part having an attaching portion at one rounded enlarged head on the other end over and behind which the outwardly angled end portion of the prong on said clip rides to a spring-pressed holding position behind said keeper when the door is closed.

2. A door catch structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein the keeper is in the form of a screw adjustably threaded in the keeper supporting element and having a substantially spherical keeper head, the rounded side surfaces of .which facilitate the slipping over said keeper head of the spring prong on the catch in any position of axial adjustment of the screw, the spherical head of said screw having a screw driver slot provided therein on the outer end.

3. A catch for a closure fastener adapted to be used in combination with a keeper having an enlarged rounded head, said catch beingmade of a single piece of L-shaped spring steel providing a relatively long attaching portion on one leg of the L having two screw holes provided therein in longitudinally spaced relation in one half of the overall length of said attaching portion, the other leg of the L remote from said screw holes serving as a keeper engaging projection, and being relatively short and projecting substantially at right angles to said attaching portion and angled outwardly at its outer end for slip-over retaining engagement with a rounded head on the keeper, said attaching portion having in the middle of that half portion between the screw holes and the keeper engaging projection a transverse fulcrum projection of small height in relation to the keeper projection which by line engagement with the surface against which said attaching portion is fastened causes flexing of said attaching portion about said fulcrum projection as a center according to the adjustment of the screws relative to one .another to adjust the keeper engaging projection accordingly with respect to the rounded head of the keeper. 

